BC Maritime History

I believe the Fraser was originally the Fraser Belle, built in 1959 by Masao Kamachi at Kamachi Boat Works at Queensborough. Masao owned the boat until 1961 so may have fished her those first few years. Her Official Number is 311271, registered at New Westminster. Gross tons 12.0, dimensions – 32’ x[.....]

The double-ender Early Spring was built in Sointula, by Edwin Peterson, in 1941. Gross tonnage is 10.63, she’s 37′10″ long overall, beam is 9′8″, draft is 5′6″, and displacement 17tons. Power is a 3-71 GM with a Borg-Warner gear and she is Cedar planked on Yew frames. Son James changed some planks[.....]

The Richmond Star is a 40′ by 12′ troller built by Ernie Wahl in 1977.
Below are the few lines drawings of real troller hulls that I’ve been able to gather. There are some shared features to these hulls, drag to the keel, a long parallel mid-section, and considerable reverse in the sections aft. [.....]

The double-decker Chelsea Lake, built as the Great Northern 3 by A.C. Benson Shipyard Ltd. in 1947. Design is probably by Robert Allan of Vancouver.
For a few short years big double-decked seiners were the ultimate West Coast fishing boats. Starting in the 1930’s and ending less than 30 years later in the late[.....]

The 1889 built tug Valerie K in the Johnston Straits.
The story of two engines and five boats. My friend Bill Page has a couple of old marine engines that should be busy pushing boats around. But which boats?
The first engine is a Hundested type B/L, 39 HP single cylinder hot-bulb diesel[.....]

Summer has flashed by once again with one quarter of the anticipated projects actually completed. We did have a fair amount of painting weather this year and I got almost the entire outside of the boat painted. A slow leak gradually worsened causing great worry until I bit the bullet and we kedged across the[.....]

The Norgale is a William Reid design built in the Williams Boat Works shop in Sointula and launched in 1964. Actually this is the second Norgale built by the Williams family, the first one (41′ troller built by Albert W. Williams in 1949) became the Evelyn Gale. This Norgale is a big boat,[.....]

The Falcon Rock was built for the Minister of Fisheries in 1960 at the McKay-Cormack Ltd yard in Victoria. She served the Department for 37 years, much or all of it out of Prince Rupert. I believe she had 2 or 3 sisters, all built in BC yards around the same time. [.....]

George Bruigom built boats in Comox from about 1970 to 1985. Senang Hati, the 45 footer above, is rumored to have been his last boat.
I didn’t know George but I did stop by his shed a few times. George was a busy guy, I remember at least once going by and[.....]

Above is the troller Anna B, built in 1968 at Maderia Park by Fred Crosby. Apparently Fred built 5 or 6 boats in the late 60’s, but that’s about all I know of him. The Anna B is the only one I can find in the Ship’s Registry.
Other boats built by Fred[.....]